Chapter 139
To Karafuto (樺太へ, Karafuto e) is the 139th chapter of the Golden Kamuy manga. Synopsis In the morning, Nagakura watches as the 7th Division patrols and tidies up the grounds of the wrecked Abashiri Prison. Hijikata, Ushiyama, Kadokura, Toni, and Kantarou have sought refuge in the secret cellar of the Prayer Hall. Ushiyama raises the possibility that Nagakura and the others who were at the kotan have been caught by the 7th Division. Hijikata decides they can return to the surface after 2 or 3 days, once the soldiers on patrol have decreased. As Hijikata and Ushiyama are looking for water, they come across a wall Inudou covered with charts of information about the escaped tattooed convicts, including those they have not come across yet. With this hope, Hijikata declares they are heading south. Meanwhile, Kiroranke’s group have stopped at a port, where Shiraishi asks Asirpa if she had seen who shot Sugimoto and her father from the roof of the main gate. She shakes her head in the negative. At the hospital, Sugimoto tells the others that Ogata must have been the one who shot him and Wilk. Back at the port, Kiroranke asks Ogata if it was truly necessary to shoot Sugimoto. Ogata explains Nopperabou could have exchanged any manner of dangerous information with Sugimoto at that time, including the truth about Kiroranke. However, Sugimoto had shielded himself with Wilk’s body as he went down, and is likely still alive. Back at the hospital, Sugimoto vows to kill Ogata and Kiroranke, and asks Tsurumi how he knows they are headed toward Karafuto. Inkarmat had confronted Kiroranke outside of the gates of Abashiri Prison, but before she could reveal to the others what he had done, Kiroranke made Shiraishi escape with Asirpa, telling them that Inkarmat was dangerous, and threatened her with his makiri. In the ensuing struggle, Inkarmat is stabbed in the stomach, but she gripped the handle tightly so that Kiroranke could not recover it, and even should she die, the culprit would be clear. Inkarmat asked why Wilk had to die, and Kiroranke replied that he had changed. Kiroranke left the moment he overheard Tanigaki’s approach. Tsurumi further explains that after killing the seven Ainu men, Nopperabou was caught trying to transport a small portion of the gold to Karafuto. Tsurumi deduced that Nopperabou was planning to mobilize the main force of his comrades. With Asirpa being the only one who can decipher the coded skins, it is highly likely Kiroranke is regrouping with his former comrades from the Russian far east. Sugimoto asks that Tsurumi bring him along, as Asirpa won’t trust the 7th Division alone, and to give him 200 yen of the gold once they retrieve it with his and Asirpa’s help. Tanigaki volunteers to join them too. Because he must continue overseeing the matter of Abashiri Prison, Tsurumi sends Tsukishima and Koito in his stead. Later, aboard the ship to Karafuto, Heiji Koito talks to Sugimoto about his son’s future, how it is for parents whose children die on the battlefield, and how they might be mistaken about Wilk’s motives for raising Asirpa. The chapter ends with the ship arriving at Karafuto. Character Appearances *Hyakunosuke Ogata *Kiroranke *Shinpachi Nagakura *Tatsuma Ushiyama *Kantarou *Kadokura *Toshizou Hijikata *Anji Toni *Yoshitake Shiraishi *Asirpa *Inkarmat *Genjirou Tanigaki *Tsurumi *Saichi Sugimoto *Wilk (flashback) *Kano Ienaga *Tsukishima *Otonoshin Koito *Heiji Koito *Koujirou Hanazawa (flashback) Category:Chapters